1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to guides for sliding gates and more particularly to a modular guide frame that may be easily adapted for use with gates having different or slightly irregular thicknesses.
2. Description of the Related Art
Simple mechanical gates, such as slide gates, stop gates and weir gates have been used for countless years in fields such as agriculture, municipal water systems, wastewater systems, and the like. Such systems are typically comprised of a single, planar gate that slides between open and closed positions within an elongated guide or channel, which is shaped to conform to the shape and size of the gate. These gates and their guides have been previously fabricated from numerous different materials, including wood, steel, galvanized steel, extruded aluminum, reinforced polymers, and the like. Clearly, one of the most common methods of fabricating such a system is to prepare a gate, having a particular size and shape, and then fabricating a gate guide to fit the gate. The gate guide may be provided in the form of one or more elongated, one-piece channels that may be cut to size and reconfigured into a particular shape that will slidably receive the gate. The gate guide may then be mechanically secured in position or imbedded within concrete or other suitable material, depending upon the particular application.
However, a problem frequently encountered in the assembly and installation of a gate system occurs when a gate is selected that has an uncommon or slightly irregular thickness. In these instances, pre-fabricated gate guide materials may provide a channel width that is too broad to provide an adequate sealing engagement between the gate and the gate guide, or the channel may be too narrow, preventing the gate from being received within the gate guide. In either situation, the installer is forced to custom fabricate a gate guide to adequately receive the gate, if a new gate, having standard dimensions cannot be used. Unfortunately, custom fabricating gate guides can be costly and time consuming. This is especially true in large-scale settings that require a plurality of gates having one or more unique gate sizes or configurations.
Accordingly, what is needed is a modular gate guide frame that may be fabricated using efficient, extrusion methods while being quickly and easily adapted for use with one or more gates having unusual or slightly irregular dimensions.